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Discussion on Hay Quality
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Member:
dsibley
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Posted on Monday, Jul 30, 2007 - 7:29 am:
Our main hay man just brought over several bales for us to look at before we take the plunge and buy. This man has always supplied the area with great quality hay, and was recommended by my vet. The bales look great in every way...not too loose, not too tight, second cutting, and smell wonderful. It is a good alfalfa mix, with plenty of leaves and no dust/smoke whatsoever. I fed a test flake last night, and there is not one morsel anywhere to be found.
Of course there is a hitch: the cut hay was rained on, then dried again, so while the alfalfa is green, the stems are yellowed. Looks like a bale that got sun on it in storage, but the whole thing is that color. I read the articles about hay quality...do I need to be concerned about a decrease in vitamin content? My horses all get grain of some sort, but I have just taken in my first boarders, and want to be sure I am doing the right thing for their animals as well. Thanks!
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 31, 2007 - 6:25 am:
Hello Dieliz,
How rain effects hay depends on what stage of drying it was rained on (the first day of cutting is most resistant to the leaching effects of rain), how much rain, and how long it stayed wet. And when the hay is damaged by the rain, the results are clearly seen in the form of mold and lack of good smell. The article on forages discusses in detail color, odor, and smell and their relevance to hay quality.
DrO
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Member:
dsibley
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 31, 2007 - 7:18 am:
OK...first and second day cut (big field)...dried well again. NO smell, dust, mold. Soft, not too tight, not too loose, and the alfalfa is still green. I wouldn't worry so much if I wasn't buying like 500 bales. But from the articles, it looks as though I'll be fine. All the critters get grain as well, so any slight compromise in vitamin content should be more than offset by that.
Thank you! This is such a great site!
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